Safety door structure



Jan. 2 ,1926. I 1,570,927

' E. E. SPOTTSWOOD SAFETY DOOR STRUCTURE Filed May 27 1925 arforucq'vPatented Jan. 26, 1926.

EDWIN EGMONT SPOTTSWOOD, OI" CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SAFETY DOOR STRUCTURE.

Application filed Kay 27, 1925. Serial No. 38,808.

To all whom it may comer n:

Be it known that I, EDWIN EGMONT Sro'rrswoon, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented new anduseful Improvements ina Safety Door Structure, of

' which the following is a specification.

- This invention relates to safety door structures for banks and similarinstitutions and has for an object the provision of a structure whichnormally serves as a revolving door.

Another object is to provide a device of this kind which is adapted tobe converted into a trap b means of a suitable release mechanism w ichmay be operated froma remote point.

Another object is to provide a device for the purpose stated which issimple and positive in operation.

These and other objects'are attained by the means described herein anddisclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the safety doo mechanism of my invention. 1

Fig. 2 is a view taken on line 22 of Fig. 3 is a fragmental side View ofa locking bolt mechanlsm forming a detail of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the bolt shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5 --5 of Fig. 4.

The device of my invention is adapted to be mounted within an entrance 6of a bank or other building and for its normal purposes comprises arevolving door structure. The revolving door structure consists of theusual four vanes or doors 7 spaced at right angles to one another in theusual manner. The doors 7 are rigidly secured to a central cylindricalrod or post 8 which is revolubly mounted in a suitable bearing member 9positioned beneath the surface of the floor 10 of a building or bankingroom. A ratchet wheel 11 is keyed to the rod 8 or otherwise rigidlysecured thereto and a suitable pawl 12, cooperating with a ratchet 11insures one way rotation of the revolving doors. The upper end 13 of therod 8 is revoluble in a socket member 14 secured in any suitable mannerto a ceiling structure 15 which forms a closure for the entire top ofthe entrance way 6. Secured to the top the doors 20.

edges 16 of the doors 8-, is a bearing flange 17, which serves as anadditional means to secure the doors 7 in their relative positions andalso serves, together with the rod 8, as an abutment bearing forreceiving the perforate central ortion 18 of apair ofcross arms or crossare 19 which extend radially from the rod 8 and serve as a mounting fromwhich arcuate metal doors 20 are suspended. The arcuate doors 20 embracesubstantially a quarter circle and are positioned dlametrically'oppositeone another on the ends'of the cross arms '19. A second ratchetv wheel21 is keyed to the rod 8 and is positioned immediately above the centralperforate portion 18 of the cross arm member 19. The ratchet wheel 21 suports a second cross arm structure 22 whicli is also freely revoluble onthe rod 8 and is independent of the ratchet 21. The free ends of thesecond pair of cross arms 22 carry a second pair of arcuate doors 23which are positloned exteriorl of and concentric with no of the crossarms 22 is provided with a pawl 24 engaging the ratchet 21 and one ofthe cross arms 19 isprovided with a pawl 25 which also en ages theratchet 21. In this way the revo ving door 7 and rod 8 may be turned inone di-' rection while the pawls 2e and 25 on the cross arms .22 and 19respectively, permit the teeth of the ratchet wheel 21 to push themaside as the rod 8 and ratchet wheel 21 are rotated. A perforate plate26 is carried by one of the cross arms 22 and serves to retain a headedlocking pin 27 having a shouldered head 28 which normally extends intothe perforation 29 in the ceiling member 15. The head 28 is providedwith a peripheral groove 30 which receives a reciprocating latch member31- for holdin the pin 27 with the upper portion ofthe ead 28 inposition engagin the walls of the perforations 29 in the cei ing member15. The latch member 31 .is mounted for horizontal reciprocation intoand out of the groove 30. The latch 31 is adapted to be manually orotherwise projected over the perforation 29 in order to engage theshouldered groove 30 in the head 28 and said latch is adapted to bewithdrawn by any suitable means either mechanical or electromechanical,as shown.

An electromagnet 32 connected with a suitable source of electricalenergy such as a battery thereby on closing 0 a suitable switc ing 330and ada ted' to be ener ized means such as 34, serves as a convenientmechanism b means of which. the latch 31 may be with rawn from itsengagement upon the head 28 for the purpose of releasing the bolt 27 andcausing it to drop with the head 28 clear of the ceiling 15. When thebolt 27 is released and drops with the lower 3 scribed the cross arms 19have been free of any force and therefore will tend to remain stationaryso that the arcuate doors 20 will remain in position. 4 One extreme endof the arcuate door 23 carries a lug 34 projecting toward the adjacentside of arcuate door 20 while the opposite edge of the door 20 carries aIn 35 projecting toward the adjacent sideof t e door 23. Upon continuedmovement of the revolving door 7, the pin 27 in engagement with the door7, carries the door 23 forward until the lug 34 engages the lug35 ondoor 20 whereupon this door will also be carried along by furthermovement of the revolving doors 7. As will be noted from the disclosurein Fig. 1 the pawls 24 and 25 preclude movement of the doors 20 and 23independently of the revolving doors 7 so that force applied directly toeither of these doors in the direction of'the normal one-way rotation ofthe revolving door 7, will cause the pawls 24 and 25 to look upon theratchet 21 so that the revolving door 7 will be moved at the same time.The movement of these doors 20 and 23 in the opposite direction isblocked by the pin 27 engaging the door 7 which is retained against themovement in such opposite direction by the ratchet and pawl 11 and 12.From the foregoing it will be apparent that when it is desired to detaina person who may be leaving a banking or similar room, a switch such as34 may be operated from some remote position whereupon the pin 27 willdrop with the head 28 clear of the ceiling 15.- The person to bedetained may then prepare to depart by pushing one of the revolvin doors7 before him. As such door comes into alignment with the cross bar 22carrying the pin, the door 23 is substantially locked in position andforms a closure for the open side between adjacent doors 7 and theperson finds himself locked therein. The second door 20 operates in themanner just described to form a closure for the space between the nextadjacent doors 7. Inasmuch as the doors 20 and 23 are secured to theopposite ends of the cross arms 19 and 22, it will be readily apparentthat said doors 0 erate in unison. A person trap ed in either of thespaces between doors may continue to push one of said doors 7 before himand to pull the arcuate doors 20 and 23 about with him. However, therecan be no relative movement between any of the doors until the pin 27 isagain raised. It should be noted that the device of my invention formsfour substantially sealed chambers disposed within a closed cylinder,and if the person detained be a bandit or a desperado, he may berendered submissive by mtroducing tear gas or any similar incapacitatingagent most conveniently through the ceiling structure 15. The latch 31and actuating mechanism 32 are preferably positioned upon the floorabove and may be conveniently protected'by a locked floor plate(not'shown). When it is desired to release the "doors from their lockedposition,

the doors are revolved until the head 28 of.

the in 27 is brought into registry with the per oration 29 in theceiling 15 whereupon a hooked instrument, for example a piece of bentwire may be passed through the perforation 29 and passed about a crosslug 36 which extends across a depression 37 in the top of the head 28.While the release structure is shown in crude mechanical form, it

will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that a powerfulelectromagnet may be positioned above the perforation 29 so that thehead 28 of the pin 27 may be attracted thereby in order to withdraw thepin 27 from its position before the doors 7. It will also be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art that the inner or second arcuatedoors 20 together with the cross bars 19 may be dispensed with so thatonly two of the spaces between door 7 are closed by the arcuate doors23. Inthis embodiment, such doors 23 may be caused to look by anysuitable means such as snap latches, when they reach a position blockingthe entry ways 6. In this embodiment the normal side walls 60 form aclosure for the remainingspaces between thedoors 7. Variousmodifications of the herein described structures will suggest themselvesto those skilled in the art.

What I claim is: r 1. In a safety door structure the combination withrevolving doors mounted for one-way rotation in an entry way, ofoppositely spaced arcuate doors mounted for movement in a circle aboutthe revolving doors, and means for locking the revolving doors andarcuate doors whereby said doors may be moved in one direction only withthe arcuate doors forming closures for the spaces between the revolvingdoors. 2. In a device of the class described the combination with anentry way, of a reerable by remote control for releasing the lockingmeans and permitting it to enter the path of the revolving doors wherebythe revolving doors and arcuate doors are locked one upon'the other forforming closed chambers within the entry way.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with a revolvingdoor comprising a revolubly mounted support rod and vanes rigidlymounted thereon at right angles to one another, ratchet means carried bythe support rod for permitting one way rotation of the revolving doors,cross arms mounted on the support rod and movable independentl thereof,means carried by the sup ort re and cross arms for precluding inependent movement of the cross arms in the direction of rotation of therevolving doors, arcuate .doors carried by the cross arms and lockingmeans operable by remote control for normally holdingthe cross arms and'arcu'ate door a ainst movement and releasable for permitting movementof said cross arms and arcuate doors .and to assume a position forlocking the revolving doors and arcuate doors one upon the other uponmovement of the revolving doors.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a revolvingdoor comprising vanes having spaces therebetween, of means permittingone-way rotation of the revolving doors, a pair of arcuate oppositelyspaced doors revolubly supported by the revolving door structure andadapted to be moved through a circular path about the revolving doors, asecond pair of similarly supported arcuate doors mounted concentricallyof the first mentioned pair of arcuate doors, means precludingindependent movement of the arcuate doors in the direction of rotationof the revolving door,

locking means adapted to assume an inoperative positron whereby thearcuate doors are held against movement and to assume a position in thepath of the revolving doors whereby movement of the revolving doors willcause movement of the second mentioned arcuate doors about theirmounting, and means carried by the arcuate doors for locking said doorsone upon the other after the second mentioned arcuate door has beenmoved through a quarter circumference about its mounting on therevolving door.

5. In a device of the class described the combination with a revolvingdoor having vanes, the outer ends of which are adapted to move through acircumference, of a pair of opposite spaced arcuate doors disposedconcentric with the circumference described by the vanes of therevolving door, and means adapted to assume an inoperative position forprecluding movement of the arcuate doors and to assume an operativeposition in the path of the revolving doors for locking said arcuatedoors to form closed chambers between adjacent vanes or the revolvingdoor and precluding relative movement of said revolving door and arcuatedoors.

6. In a device of the class described the combination with a revolvingdoor having spaced vanes, of a closing member mounted for movementadjacent the vanes of the revolving door, and locking means adapted.

to normally preclude movement-of the closing member and releasable toassume a position in the path of the revolving door for locking theclosing means upon the vanes of the revolving. door for forming a closedchamber between adjacent vanes.

7. In a device of the class described the cpmbination with a revolvingdoor having spaced vanes, of a closing member movable to form a closurefor a space between said vanes and locking means adapted to assume aposition in the path of said vanes for locking the closing member uponone of said vanes whereby a closed and locked chamber is formed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 20thday'of May,

EDWIN EGMONT SPOTTSWOOD.

